--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Are you really going to catch us and take…" description: "\"Are you really going to catch us and take us back to Esther? We don’t belong to her, you know.” Embarrassed, Victor stared at his shoes. “Well, childre..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/cornelia-funke-908_belong_are-you-really-going-to-catch-us-and-tak_322571.png" --- # Are you really going to catch us and take us back to… ![“Are you really going to catch us and take us back to Esther? We don’t belong to her, you know.” Embarrassed, Victor stared at his shoes. “Well, children all have to belong to somebody,” he muttered. “Do you belong to someone?” “That’s different.” “Because you’re a grown-up?” quote by Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/cornelia-funke-908_belong_are-you-really-going-to-catch-us-and-tak_322571.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/cornelia-funke-908_belong_are-you-really-going-to-catch-us-and-tak_322571.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/885/cornelia-funke-908_belong_are-you-really-going-to-catch-us-and-tak_322571.png) > “Are you really going to catch us and take us back to Esther? We don’t belong to her, you know.” Embarrassed, Victor stared at his shoes. “Well, children all have to belong to somebody,” he muttered. “Do you belong to someone?” “That’s different.” “Because you’re a grown-up?” [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character questions personal identity and belonging, highlighting the tension between imposed roles and self‑definition. **In simple terms:** People wonder who they truly belong to. Key Takeaway Reflect on who defines you. Themes identity belonging authority growth choice Mood conflicted thoughtful Type literary dialogue When to use this quote - family dynamics - school - workplace - friendships - community Key Concepts self‑definition social roles personal agency Questions to Reflect On - Who defines your identity? - Do you accept imposed roles? A Different Perspective The quote assumes belonging is always desired, which may not hold for everyone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belong/) [Belong Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belong-different-376446/) [Belong Somebody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belong-somebody-3037040/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children Belong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-belong-461386/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Embarrassed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embarrassed/) [Esther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/esther/) [Muttered Belong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muttered-belong-3037041/) [Shoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoes/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [I know you belong to somebody new...but tonight, you belong to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-you-belong-to-somebody-new-but-tonight-you-belong-to-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Our children belong to God. We're only given them on loan from heaven. Sometimes God calls them home sooner tan we expected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlet-wilson/our-children-belong-to-god-we-re-only-given-them-on-loan-from-heaven/) [Scarlet Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlet-wilson/) > [Small children do not belong at an adult party, and especially should not be used like trained midgets to help serve martinis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/small-children-do-not-belong-at-an-adult-party-and-especially-should/) [Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/) > [Parents have to get over the idea that their children belong just to them; children are a family affair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-pittman/parents-have-to-get-over-the-idea-that-their-children-belong-just-to/) [Frank Pittman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-pittman/) > [We would be doing the children of South Asia a great disservice if we allowed ourselves to believe that the need of children to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-landrieu/we-would-be-doing-the-children-of-south-asia-a-great-disservice-if-we/) [Mary Landrieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-landrieu/) > [“The society must be cultured enough to understand that children belong to the nation and hence, deserve best of the education as well as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-ashok-anand-2/the-society-must-be-cultured-enough-to-understand-that-children/) [Dr.Ashok Anand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-ashok-anand-2/) > [“A place to show her children: and you belong to the earth, and the earth is hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-coplin/a-place-to-show-her-children-and-you-belong-to-the-earth-and-the/) [Amanda Coplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-coplin/) > [“It is so easy to lose sight of the fact that these are God’s children. They do not belong to us. They are given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/it-is-so-easy-to-lose-sight-of-the-fact-that-these-are-god-s-children/) [Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/) > [The world is large,” said Okonkwo. “I have even heard that in some tribes a man’s children belong to his wife and her family.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-is-large-said-okonkwo-i-have-even-heard-that-in-some-tribes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Adorable children are considered to be the general property of the human race. Rude children belong to their mothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/adorable-children-are-considered-to-be-the-general-property-of-the/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [In this House, we may belong to different parties, but we serve one country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/in-this-house-we-may-belong-to-different-parties-but-we-serve-one/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [“To see ourselves as others see us is a most salutary gift. Hardly less important is the capacity to see others as they see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/to-see-ourselves-as-others-see-us-is-a-most-salutary-gift-hardly-less/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“... even though we belong to three different religions. We are alike in so many more ways than we are different.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/firoozeh-dumas/even-though-we-belong-to-three-different-religions-we-are-alike-in-so/) [Firoozeh Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/firoozeh-dumas/) > [It is well there is no one without fault; for he would not have a friend in the world. He would seem to belong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/it-is-well-there-is-no-one-without-fault-for-he-would-not-have-a/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Wise people are able to give themselves gracefully to seemingly contradictory experiences, because they know that they belong to different seasons of life, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/wise-people-are-able-to-give-themselves-gracefully-to-seemingly/) [Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/) ## More by Cornelia Funke > [ There was another reason \[she\] took her books whenever they went away. They were her home when she was somewhere strange. They were familiar… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/there-was-another-reason-she-took-her-books-whenever-they-went-away/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“A story is a labyrinth, it looks as if there were several ways to go, but only one is right, and there's a nasty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/a-story-is-a-labyrinth-it-looks-as-if-there-were-several-ways-to-go/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her full on the mouth. His skin was wet with rain. When she didn't pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/he-put-his-hands-on-her-shoulders-and-kissed-her-full-on-the-mouth/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“For a moment Dustfinger felt as if he had never been away- as if he had simply had a bad dream, and the memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/for-a-moment-dustfinger-felt-as-if-he-had-never-been-away-as-if-he/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Don't let it worry you, not being able to speak,'Dustfinger had often told her. 'People tend not to listen anyway, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/don-t-let-it-worry-you-not-being-able-to-speak-dustfinger-had-often/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“And he will have a great aunt called Elinor who tells him there's a world not like this one. A world with neither fairies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/and-he-will-have-a-great-aunt-called-elinor-who-tells-him-there-s-a/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“Yes, Mo would come. Meggie could think of nothing else as Fenoglio led her away with him, his arm around her as if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/yes-mo-would-come-meggie-could-think-of-nothing-else-as-fenoglio-led/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [When it came to hiding, even Gwin had nothing to teach Dustfinger. A strange sense of curiosity had always driven him to explore the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/when-it-came-to-hiding-even-gwin-had-nothing-to-teach-dustfinger-a/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Because fear kills everything," Mo had once told her. "Your mind, your heart, your imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/because-fear-kills-everything-mo-had-once-told-her-your-mind-your/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Perhaps there's another, much larger story behind the printed one, a story that changes just as our own world does. And the letters on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/perhaps-there-s-another-much-larger-story-behind-the-printed-one-a/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Mo could paint pictures in the empty air with his voice alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/mo-could-paint-pictures-in-the-empty-air-with-his-voice-alone/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [I remember the feeling. Whenever my father got so absorbed in a book that we might have been in visible I felt like taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/i-remember-the-feeling-whenever-my-father-got-so-absorbed-in-a-book/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [I wish you luck,' she said, kissing him on the cheek. He still had the most beautiful eyes of any boy she'd ever seen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/i-wish-you-luck-she-said-kissing-him-on-the-cheek-he-still-had-the/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Because by now Elinor had understood this, too: A longing for books was nothing compared with what you could feel for human beings. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/because-by-now-elinor-had-understood-this-too-a-longing-for-books-was/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [The night breathed through the apartment like a dark animal. The ticking of a clock. The groan of a floorboard as he slipped out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/the-night-breathed-through-the-apartment-like-a-dark-animal-the/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) [Explore all 286 Cornelia Funke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) ## More Belong quotes > [How come I end up where I started How come I end up where I belong... You used to be alright What happened?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/how-come-i-end-up-where-i-started-how-come-i-end-up-where-i-belong/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [Each of us is precious to God because each of us has their name written on the palms of God's hands. And God says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/each-of-us-is-precious-to-god-because-each-of-us-has-their-name/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I hate this feeling. Like Im here. But, Im not. Like someone cares. But, they dont. Like I belong somewhere else, anywhere but here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-this-feeling-like-im-here-but-im-not-like-someone-cares-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As you know, in America there's no rights for the artist, so whatever films I've made kind of belong to the studio, so if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-jewison/as-you-know-in-america-there-s-no-rights-for-the-artist-so-whatever/) [Norman Jewison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-jewison/) > [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [God has a purpose for us. If he didn't we wouldn't be alive in the first place. We have a calling. We are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-janssen/god-has-a-purpose-for-us-if-he-didn-t-we-wouldn-t-be-alive-in-the/) [Kenny Janssen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-janssen/) > [I thought of how many places there are in the world that belong in this way to someone, who has it in his blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/i-thought-of-how-many-places-there-are-in-the-world-that-belong-in/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [I belong to a Bohri Muslim family, and for us, food is our biggest celebration. We are used to elaborate five- to six-course meals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nushrat-bharucha/i-belong-to-a-bohri-muslim-family-and-for-us-food-is-our-biggest/) [Nushrat Bharucha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nushrat-bharucha/) > [“You need to belong to yourself, and let others belong to themselves too. You need to be free and detached from things and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-eriksson/you-need-to-belong-to-yourself-and-let-others-belong-to-themselves/) [Charlotte Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-eriksson/) > [I want all of my films to belong to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/i-want-all-of-my-films-to-belong-to-me/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [“Your beliefs, and your beliefs alone, belong to you. You are the only one who is with you for your entire life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ruiz-jr/your-beliefs-and-your-beliefs-alone-belong-to-you-you-are-the-only/) [Miguel Ruiz Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ruiz-jr/) > [Earth does not belong to us; we belong to earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chief-seattle/earth-does-not-belong-to-us-we-belong-to-earth/) [Chief Seattle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chief-seattle/) > [I think I know where you belong. I think I know its not with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-i-know-where-you-belong-i-think-i-know-its-not-with-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's a compelling reason why I belong in the Hall of Fame, but I understand the argument against me. My career didn't go like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-warner/there-s-a-compelling-reason-why-i-belong-in-the-hall-of-fame-but-i/) [Kurt Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-warner/) [Browse all 1,571 Belong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belong/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Are you really going to catch us and take us back to Esther? 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